Every NFL team has now played its eighth game, meaning the 2007 season is halfway home. This week we’ll grade all 32 teams on whether they’ve exceeded, met or fallen short of expectations this season.

DALLAS COWBOYS (7–1)
Quarterback Tony Romo is having a solid year and just signed a six-year contract extension. Marion Barber is running with power. Wade Phillips has improved the defense and gotten the most out of Terrell Owens without letting him become a distraction. This is the best team in the NFC.
GRADE: A

GREEN BAY PACKERS (7–1)
The Packers have one of the toughest run defenses in the league, with linebacker Nick Barnett leading the way. Brett Favre has cut down on the interceptions that plagued him in recent years, and he has a good target in receiver Greg Jennings. If Ryan Grant can run well enough to keep opposing defenses honest, Favre could get back to the Super Bowl.
GRADE: A

NEW YORK GIANTS (6–2)
After an 0–2 start, it would have been easy for the Giants to give up on coach Tom Coughlin and start packing it in. Instead, they’ve played inspired football for six straight weeks, with wide receiver Plaxico Burress having the best season of his career. Of course, the Giants looked great halfway through last year and then fell apart, but this team looks more cohesive and less error-prone than last year’s.
GRADE: B+

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (5–4)
Tampa Bay’s offensive line, led by guard Davin Joseph, is one of the best in football, and coach Jon Gruden finally has a quarterback, Jeff Garcia, who understands how to run his offense. A year after finishing in last place, the Bucs should win the NFC South.
GRADE: B+

DETROIT LIONS (6–2)
This is the best Lions team since Matt Millen took over the front office, but that’s not saying much. A 6–2 record is reason for great optimism, but the two losses were by 35 and 31 points. An injury to quarterback Jon Kitna, who’s been sacked a league-high 33 times, would be a disaster.
GRADE: B

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (4–4)
The best story in the NFL in 2006, the Saints looked like a disaster through four weeks of 2007. But an 0–4 start was followed by a four-game winning streak, and now the Saints look like playoff contenders.
GRADE: B

WASHINGTON REDSKINS (5–3)
A very good defense has powered the Redskins to five wins, but until Sunday against the Jets, the offense wasn’t playing Joe Gibbs football. If the big game for Clinton Portis Sunday is a harbinger for the Redskins, they’re a playoff team. If it just showed that the Jets have a lousy defense, the Redskins will be home in January.
GRADE: B

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (3–5)
They still don’t have a competent quarterback, but they have a great running back. Adrian Peterson is on pace to finish the season with 2,072 rushing yards. Despite Peterson and a great run defense, Minnesota won’t be a playoff team this year. If they sign a quarterback in the off-season, look out for them in 2008.
GRADE: C+

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (4–4)
The league MVP just two years ago, running back Shaun Alexander now averages 3.3 yards a carry. Still, Seattle’s defense is good, its kicking game is great, and the NFC West is the worst division in football. Seattle will be back in the playoffs.
GRADE: C

ARIZONA CARDINALS (3–5)
Every year the Cardinals are advertised as an up-and-coming team, and every year they fall short of expectations. Quarterback Matt Leinart was ineffective before getting knocked out for the season with a broken collarbone, and they’ll now go into 2008 unsure whether their franchise quarterback is ready to lead the team.
GRADE: C

CAROLINA PANTHERS (4–4)
An elbow injury to quarterback Jake Delhomme has forced the Panthers to play either David Carr or Vinny Testaverde, meaning the Panthers will be lucky to stay at .500 the rest of the year. One piece of good news: Cornerback Ken Lucas is quietly having an outstanding season.
GRADE: C

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (3–5)
Expected to be at the top of the division, the Eagles are instead at the bottom. Coach Andy Reid claims he can compartmentalize his life and coach effectively while dealing with having two sons sent to jail, but the team looks unfocused. This could be Donovan McNabb’s last year in Philadelphia.
GRADE: D+

ATLANTA FALCONS (2–6)
Michael Vick’s suspension got new coach Bobby Petrino’s tenure off to a rocky start, but the Falcons have many other problems. The defense and special teams are every bit as bad as the offense, and that can’t be blamed on Vick’s absence. Petrino, whose past experience is in college, looks ill-suited to running an NFL team.
GRADE: D

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (2–6)
This was supposed to be the year that the team with a young and talented quarterback (Alex Smith), running back (Frank Gore), and tight end (Vernon Davis) would put it all together. Instead, the offense is the worst in the league, and the defense isn’t much better.
GRADE: D

CHICAGO BEARS (3–5)
It’s hard to believe this is the team that represented the NFC in the Super Bowl in February. The defense has most of the same personnel but is a shell of its former self, and benching Rex Grossman for Brian Griese failed to spark the offense. Kick returner Devin Hester continues to impress, but the Bears’ opponents routinely kick away from him.
GRADE: F

ST. LOUIS RAMS (0–8)
Injuries to key players like running back Steven Jackson, quarterback Marc Bulger, left tackle Orlando Pace, and defensive end Leonard Little have decimated the Rams. The schedule gets easier, so the Rams probably won’t finish 0–16, but don’t expect anything better than 2–14.
GRADE: F

Coming tomorrow: AFC Grades.

Mr. Smith is a writer for FootballOutsiders.com